WITHIN THE ROCK

A
deep space mining crew is sent to detonate some explosives on an
out-of-orbit moon to divert it from its collision course with
earth. Their task is complicated by a stunt man in a rubber suit
moving in slow motion intent on killing them off . . .

Yeah, it's one of those
movies: the type you wish that you were watching something else
instead. And you are! The plot is ripped off from Alien, the designs from Aliens, and the monster from The Creature from
the Black Lagoon. But like I've said on many on occasion,
there's no problem inherently with a genre movie being derivative
if it offers its viewers something more.

Alas, Within the Rock
doesn't. It remains true to its roots as a straight-to-video
cheapie. It offers us instead clichés piled upon clichés, an
interchangeable cast, kills off the vaguely interesting
characters early on in the movie, has two characters in a fist
fight (for no obvious reason) during the final confrontation with
the monster. And so forth . . .

Within the Rock could easily
have been one of the movies that the Mystery Science
Theatre 3000 crew rips off
so incessantly. But it is too lifeless an affair for that: after
all, the (unintentionally) funniest line in the entire movie is "what shall we wear for protection?"